Woodlands
Woodlands ( , ) is a planning area and residential town located in the North Region of Singapore. The town is connected to Malaysia's southernmost city, Johor Bahru, via the Johor-Singapore Causeway. Woodlands planning area borders Sembawang to the east, Mandai to the south, Sungei Kadut to the west and the Straits of Johor to the north. Woodlands New Town is situated with the Woodlands planning area. History The area consisting of modern-day Woodlands Town first witnessed the opening of the Johor-Singapore Causeway in 1923. Early Woodlands consisted of villages and squatters where residents made their living mostly as small-time shopkeepers and vegetable farmers in the Marsiling area, while rubber plantations and poultry farms dot the landscape in Jalan Ulu Sembawang where modern-day Admiralty is located. The first HDB flats were built from 1972 in the northern part of Marsiling, and the Woodlands Bus interchange located at Woodlands Centre Road was built in 1980. Development of Woodlands began in 1981. This compromises of the building of HDB flats in the Neighbourhood 1, which was completed in 1985; well after the Marsiling Estate. The Neighbourhood 8 were completed in 1987, together with the Neighbourhood 3 in 1989. Because of the saturation of HDB flats, the numbering system added 'A', 'B' and 'C'. Blocks 6xx in Admiralty begun to be completed in 1996, together with the 7xx in 1997. Expansion into Innova began in 1998 and was completed in 2002, which consists of block 5xx. Expansion into the Woodlands East began in 1999 and completed in 2004. Neighbourhood layout There are three constituencies in the town, and nine neighbourhoods (N1 to N9) within the Woodlands vicinity made up primarily of Woodlands, Marsiling, Woodgrove and Admiralty. Woodlands Square serves as the town centre while adjacent neighbourhood centres also offer a variety of commercial activities. Integrated development plans including Kampung Admiralty are officially launched in April 2014. Of all the estates, Woodgrove is the smallest in size, located towards the northwest end of the town. Woodgrove houses most of the private housing in Woodlands, consisting of high-rise condominiums, and landed properties. Woodgrove lies in between the estates of Marsiling and Woodlands. Marsiling, Woodlands, Woodgrove and Admiralty altogether form Woodlands New Town (not to be confused with Woodlands, Singapore). 20180104_163313.jpg|Woodlands Neighbourhood 8 20180104_163422.jpg|Woodlands Bus Depot, together with Woodlands Bus Park 20180104_163424.jpg|Woodlands Neighbourhood 7 Infrastructure Woodlands is diverse during the day and well lit at night. Shops, eateries, and commercial zones are evenly spread through the town, with bus and transit routes operating till close to midnight. Divisions within estates are being rapidly modernised and modelled for Singapore's standards; playgrounds, communal gardens, sheltered pavements, multi-level parking lots, barbecue-pits, recreational facilities (such as tennis courts) and trees are found nearly everywhere. With the modernising process outpacing the preservation of its past, Woodlands Town Garden keeps a clear and simple agenda, to bring greenery in the right ambience with the mixture of the local ethnicities. The theme of the park revolves around the Malay and Chinese culture, and winding through the park is Sungei Mandai Kechil, the river that extends into a lake within the park. Woodlands Town Garden is located near to the Woodlands Checkpoint, in the Marsiling estate. To the east of this area, bordering the polytechnic is Admiralty Park, a 27-hectare national park much of which is covered in mangrove. The recent riverine park which opened in phases is the Woodlands Waterfront. It has engaged a lot of residents, especially those staying in northern Singapore. It is also linked to Admiralty Park and a 25 km Northern Explorer Park Connector Network. Causeway Point, one of the largest shopping malls in Singapore, houses 250 shops and various outlets. Woodlands Civic Centre is a designated centre of education, public services, and other forms of assistance for residents. The centre houses the Woodlands Regional Library, several banks, CPF Woodlands Branch, and numerous merchandise and educational institutions. Sports are an emerging emphasis in the Singaporean society. Recreational facilities can be easily located around the estates and especially in parks: The multi-purpose stadium, the Woodlands Stadium, and Woodlands Swimming Complex are common places for sport-goers. Experimental styles of architecture have found their way into Woodlands, making the town a place of wonder and color, with much integration with recreation. From the early practical designs to its modern-day luxurious manifestation, housing apartment blocks are no longer as plain as they sound; with the garnish of parks, communal gardens and décors, these blocks are pieces of art and style themselves. The centrepiece of the town, Woodlands Square, attracts a constant flow of travellers and shoppers daily. Tireless planning and redevelopment keeps the town modernised. Woodlands Regional Library The Woodlands Regional Library (Chinese: 兀兰区域图书馆) is a regional public library in Woodlands in the North Region of Singapore. It is located within the premises of the Woodlands Civic Centre, near Causeway Point. The library has a floor space of 11,100 square metres and currently has 540,000 items in its collection. The four-storey public library caters to all ages and is organised according to themes of general, reference, teens, and children. When it was opened on April 28, 2001 by the then-Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan, Woodlands Regional Library was the biggest library in Singapore, with four floors. The 16-storey National Library, located on Victoria Street and opened in 2005, is currently the largest. Tse Mun Hoi had went to Woodlands Regional Library in June 2015. Education Educational institutions are evenly distributed throughout the estate. From newly founded schools to well-established ones, Woodlands has several top educational institutions in the northern region. Schools in Woodlands are allocated into the N5 and the N7 clusters. Woodlands has been notable to the international school, Singapore American School and the first sports school, Singapore Sports School. Singapore's fifth polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, is situated in the north of Woodlands. Innova Junior College, a new junior college in Singapore, is situated at the south of Woodlands. Schools Primary schools * Admiralty Primary School * Evergreen Primary School * Fuchun Primary School * Greenwood Primary School * Innova Primary School * Marsiling Primary School * Qihua Primary School * Riverside Primary School * Si Ling Primary School * Woodgrove Primary School * Woodlands Primary School * Woodlands Ring Primary School Secondary schools * Evergreen Secondary School * Marsiling Secondary School * Riverside Secondary School * Spectra Secondary School * Woodlands Secondary School Tertiary institutes * Republic Polytechnic * Innova Junior College Admiralty Secondary School Admiralty Secondary School is government secondary school in Singapore since 2002. Mr Tan Yuanyan had went into the Admiralty Secondary School since 2016. Christ Church Secondary School Christ Church Secondary School (Simplified Chinese: 基督堂中学)(Abbreviation: CHR) is a government-aided secondary school located in Woodlands, Singapore, beside Singapore Sports School. Christ Church Secondary School has affiliations with Saint Andrew's Junior College. The vice-principal of the Christ Church Secondary School is Mrs Anne Chan since 2014. The school started as a private Anglican school in 1952 within Christ Church Parish at Dorset Road to meet the needs of those students who had missed the mainstream education. It was renamed Christ Church Secondary School (CHR) when it became a Government-aided school in 1973. Due to the growing student population, the school moved to Tyrwhitt Road campus, formerly occupied by Victoria School, in 1985. The school was relocated to a brand new campus in Woodlands in December 2001. Fuchun Secondary School Fuchun Secondary School (abbreviation: FCSS) is a co-educational, single session, government school in Woodlands, Singapore. The school was founded in 1986. It started with 9 teachers and 109 students. With a small group of teachers and students it sustained a few awards. As of 2006, the school's population is over 1500, signifying its growth. In 2006, the school achieved 5 MOE awards. Singapore Sports School Singapore Sports School is a Specialised Independent School under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). It is the only school in Singapore that offers select youths an integrated academic and sports programme in a world-class environment. It was officially opened on 2 April 2004 by Mr Goh Chok Tong, Singapore’s second Prime Minister. It hosted 2010 Youth Olympic Games in this school. The notable people are: *Shana Tan (born 2005), now in Secondary 2 wearing black flats during Awards Night 2018 *Cherlin Sia (born 2001), wearing Rubi San Sebastian (Nude) heels *Lim Jia Min (born 2006), now in Secondary 1 wearing pink high heels during Awards Night 2019 *Aryna, wearing nude high heel wedges *Sito Jia Rong, wearing white cross-strap high heels *Rennie Yow (born 2003) *Michele Lau Woodgrove Secondary School Woodgrove Secondary School is a secondary school in Woodlands, Singapore. The school was founded by pioneer Principal Mrs Helena Song Kheng Sin in year 2000, and opened by Dr Maliki Osman, MP for Sembawang GRC in 5 July 2002. The school had their Chinese Orchestra which is in collaboration with the Marsiling Secondary School firm. Although Woodgrove Secondary School's Chinese Orchestra colour is black and pink, most of the girls will definitely wear black court shoes, and it could be wedges also. The students who studied in this school are - Denise Thng, Sheralyn Lim, Erilea Ang, Ophelia Toh and Charmaine Chong. Woodlands Ring Secondary School Woodlands Ring Secondary School (WRSS) is located at Woodlands Ring Road near Woodlands Ring Primary School, Woodlands NPC and NS10 Admiralty MRT Station in Singapore. Prior to Woodlands Ring Secondary School, it temporarily housed Woodlands Ring Primary School (1998), Sembawang Secondary School (1999), Evergreen Primary School (1999) and Orchid Park Secondary School (1999). In 28 July 2000, the school was opened by then MP of Sembawang GRC (Woodlands) Assoc Professor Chin Tet Yung. The school's niche is Robotics. The appearance was straightforward in February 2009 that I saw a girl wearing gold flats (which is Mary Jane, and is velcro straps) at Tampines Mall. Accessibility Woodlands is highly accessible, connected by major roads and expressways, with a relatively large underground bus interchange, the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange and an elevated MRT station next to Causeway Point at Woodlands Square. Most of the bus routes are operated by SMRT Buses, while SMRT Trains operates the MRT stations. Train Residents of Woodlands are serviced by the three MRT stations, at the centre of the suburb, Woodlands MRT Station; north of the suburb, Marsiling MRT Station and Southeast of the suburb, Admiralty MRT Station. The regional bus interchange was relocated from the previous Town Centre, Woodlands Town Centre, to the current town centre at Woodlands Square. Access to Woodlands will be made easier through the introduction of the 30-km long Thomson Line over 2019-2021, which will create 2 additional stations in Woodlands, namely Woodlands North and Woodgrove. The first 3 stations - Woodlands North, Woodlands nand Woodgrove will be completed by 2019. This will facilitate more convenient transportation within Woodlands itself. Roads Land transportation in Woodlands is relatively efficient, in comparison to other estates, contrasting by the amount of well-maintained roads, though a common sight in Singapore. Twelve avenues support and help circulate all of the traffic of the town, especially the notable ones, such as Avenue 2, Avenue 3 and Avenue 7, which come from the expressways. Woodlands Avenue 2 is a shorter route from the older estates of the town to the Seletar Expressway. It was being built in 1998 as part of the Seletar Expressway upgrade, and bus service 168 is the first route to take this route. Woodlands Avenue 3 connects Marsiling from the exit of Bukit Timah Expressway to Woodlands Centre Road, which leads to Woodlands Checkpoint. The rest of it maintains a similar route of the MRT line from Marsiling MRT Station to Woodlands MRT Station, which connects to Woodlands Square. It was being built in 1988. Woodlands Avenue 7 is the eastern route, which connects Woodlands to Admiralty, also the route of the MRT line from Woodlands MRT Station to Admiralty MRT Station, and it continues to Sembawang Way. It was being built in 1996. In the central part of Woodlands, it goes along the slopes of Woodlands Square. Divisions within estates are further connected and regulated by two- or single lane roads called streets, which are distinguished by a suffix of double-digit numbers, such as Woodlands Street 82 and Woodlands Street 83. This was a common practice before the late '90s. Drives are two- or single lane roads built for newer divisions within an estate, similar to that of the streets. Links and Crescents are often three-, two-, or single lane roads that convey commuters from a main road to another main road, such as the Woodlands Link, which connects Woodlands Avenue 9 to the main roads in the Woodlands Industrial Park. Crescents connect main roads to streets or drives. Condominiums Parc Rosewood is a condominium in Woodlands, Singapore which will be completed in 2016. Annabel Lim had planned to stay there since January 2012, but this was overtaken by Isabel Illiona Lim which she wanted, especially when she graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in May 2015, and she had planned to study in Australia all the way until 2019. Future plans According to the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority and its Master Plan for the North Region of Singapore, Woodlands Regional Centre is set to come into its own as the Northern Gateway to Singapore with the future cross-border rail link to Malaysia. Featuring some 700,000m² of new commercial space and more than 100ha of developable land, the growth of the Woodlands Regional Centre will anchor the development of the North Coast Innovation Corridor. More commercial and shopping options will progressively be made available in the Woodlands Central, with a future pedestrian mall running through the heart of the district. As a significant employment cluster, the Woodlands North Coast will bring jobs and commercial opportunities closer to home for residents of the North Region. See also * Woodlands Checkpoint Station References External links * North West Community Development Council * Sembawang Town Council * Woodlands Town Park * Republic Polytechnic * Singapore Sports School * Singapore American School Category:Places in Singapore Category:New towns in Singapore Category:North Region, Singapore Category:Woodlands, Singapore Category:Malaysia–Singapore border crossings